Hopper mechanism.



Z P. CANDEE.

HOPPER MECHANISM. vAPPLICATION FILE!) JUNE 1. I915. 1,232,893. Patented July 10, 191 7.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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Z. P. CANDEE.

HOPPER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION man JUNE 1. I916.

Patented July 10, 1917.

2 snzns-snszr 2 limi- State of I new and useful Improvements in Hopper 85 the claims.

40 means and a nism shown in section; ,and

\ NITED STATES PATENT OF v zENns r. GANDEE, or wA'rEnBUnY, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNon TO THE WATERBURY FARREL FOUNDRY AND MACHINE COMPA Y, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

HOPPER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Application filed June 1, 1916. Serial No."101,201.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be-it known that l, ZENAS P. CAN EE; a citizen of 'the United -States, residing at Waterb in the county of New Haven and onnecticut, have invented certain Mechanism, of which the following is. a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

. My invention relates to a new and improved hopper mechanism, having particular reference to that type of hopper mechanism having memberstherein for separately ',taking articles or blanks out of the common mass and delivering them successively to'a discharge point. I

, It is the object of this invention, among other things, to provide guide means of such mechanism that will be equally sensitive'to pressure at substantially all points throughout its length; to provide a flexible support therefor at both ends thereof; to soarrange the delivery means that any excess of articles or blanks will be returned to the hopper 26 without the aid or assistance of additional partsor mechanism; and to so design and arrange the several mechanisms that they will be exposed to view and readily accessible for installation, adjustment and repairs.

To these, and other ends, my invention consists in the hopper mechanism, having certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in Referrin to the drawings, in which like numerals 0 reference designate like parts in the several figures"; 3

Figure 1 is-a side elevation of the gulde portion of the: adjacent mechanism'; 1

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the entire mechanism assembled;

' Fig. 3 is aplan view of one of the glnde mecha- Figs. 4, 5 and -6 show a front view, side view and plan view respectively, of a modie fiedfform'of discharge tube. 8 p In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the hopper-body, which is secured to a fixed part in any desired or preferred manner, 2 the hopper extension' se'parably secured thereto and both open at the top, and 3 the hopper back circular in form which is secured upon a shaft 4 rotatably mounted in the journal 5 connected with the hopper body -1 and held against endwise movement by the collars 6 and 7.

The hopper back 3'is provided on its rear face with a bevel gear 8, into which mesh the teeth of a pinion (not shown) so as to impart rotation thereto.

Fixed to the inner face of said hopper back by the screws 9, is the'pin ring 10 having a plurality of pins 11 fixed therein.

Secured to the journal 5 by the bolt 12 is the standard 13, to which areadjustably' secured the guide brackets 14 by the bolts 15,

- which pass through the slots 27 in the base portions of said brackets.

The guide plate 16 is made with its central portion substantially concentric with the pin ring 10, as shown in Fig. 1, and the opposite ends 17 and 21 turned inwardly there-- from. A block 18 is fixed to the receiving end 17 and this is connected with alever 19 on one of the guide brackets 14 by a link 20; V I

Attached to the discharge end 21 is a block 22, which is pivotally connected with a lever 23 rotatably mounted uponthe'other guide bracket 14. A spring 24 surrounds a portion of each of said guide; brackets with one end 25 thereof projecting into the levers 19 and 23 and the other end 26 projecting into the 'baseportion of thebracket- Means are thus provided for holding said levers19 and 23 in a normally fix'ed position and through itthe guide plate 16,- while at the same time line with the discharge tube 32 fixed to thehopper body 1 in any preferred or desired the pressure is remanner, with the upper end thereof at-a distance from the lower end of the guide 0 tube29so as to provide an open space there'- between.

In operation, the hopper is filled blanks or articles that are substantially cylindrical in form and lie thereinin amass or bulk. As the hopper back 3 rotates, some of the pins 11 which pass through said mass pick up these blanks or articles and carry them upwardly. They are prevented from dislodgment from the pins-11 by the guide plate 16, the ends of said blanks or articles during their travel contacting therewith, substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

When the pins have successively arrived at a position adjacent to the side plates 28, the blanks or articles drop off the pin and pass by gravity between the plates 28 into and through the guide tube 29 across the that if the same engage a fixed guide plate either the article is damaged or the pin broken. Therefore, the guide plate is mounted so as to yield by pressure wherever applied throughout its entire length. Hence, if the position of the blanks or articles on the pins 11 is not correct the guide plate by its yielding action will have a tendency to press the article onto said pins in their proper relative position. These guide plates have heretofore been mounted upon a yielding part at one end only, preferably the end corresponding with the receiving end 17 herein, and the other end has.

usually been free. By a guide plate so mounted the blanks or articles first contact with that portion thereof adjacent to its mounting, where the greatest pressure is required to move it, hence the articles are frequently bent or injuredand the pins broken because the guide plate is not sufiiciently flexible, and again, as the other end is en tirely free the blank or article is not always guided into the discharge tube, because at the same moment it might be thrown out of alinement by its yielding action, and hence an improper delivery results.

With my device the guide plate is yieldingly mounted at both ends and the dis charge end 21 always moves in a rotary ath toward and away from the discharge tu e in proper alinement therewith, and on the receiving end 17 the pivot mounting is so far away from the point of contact of the blanks or articles therewith that only a slight pressure is required to make the same yield. I

The guide plate 16 and all of its operative parts are mounted upon a single standard, which can be assembled as a unit before being installed. This is a result that has not heretofore been possible, as the guide plates have formerly been constructed and mounted so as to be practically inaccessible and to require the dismantling of the entire hopper in order to gain access thereto for repairs or other purposes.

If desired, the guide tube 29 may be connected with the guide plate itself and a method of accomplishing this is shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, wherein the plates 28 are secured to wings 33 upon the upper end of the guide tube 29.

There are minor changes and alterations that can be made within my invention, aside from those herein suggested, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, except as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. In a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary member having blank carrying elements connected therewith; of a guide member; and means yieldingly connecting the opposite ends of said guide member to a member independent of said rotary member.

2. In a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary member having blank carrying elements connected therewith; of a guide member, a portion of which is substantially concentric with said rotary member; bracket members independent of said rotary member; and a yielding, flexible connection between each of said bracket members and the opposite ends of said guide member respectively, whereby both ends of said guide member are supported by a flexible oint.

3. In a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary member having blank carryin elements connected therewith; of a stan ard secured independently of said rotary member; bracket members adjustably secured to said standard; a guide member;

means for connecting one end of said guide member with one of said brackets, said means having a springconnection with said bracket; and means for connecting the other end of said guide bracket with another of said brackets, said means having a spring connection with said latter bracket.

4:..111 a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary me ber, having blankcarrying elements connec d therewith; of a standard secured independently of said rotary member; a guide tube connected therewith; a guide member; and means for yieldingly securing each end of said guide member to said standard with one of said ends adjacent to said guide tube.

5. In a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary member, having blank carrying elements connected therewith; of a unitary structure secured independently of said rotary member, comprising a standard,

companion brackets movably secured thereto, a guide member, and means for yieldingly securing each end of said guide memberto said brackets.

6. In a hopper'mechanism, the combination with a rotary member having blank carrying elements connected therewith; of a -guide tube; a guide member; means, for

yieldingly connecting the oppositeends of said guide to a separably secured member; and means connected with said guide memher at the end thereof adjacent to said guide tube for preventing lateral movement of a r blank in relation tosaid guide member.

7. In a hopper mechanism, the combination with a rotary member having blank carrying elements connected therewith; of a standard secured independently of said rotary member; companion brackets mounted on said standard; a lever mounted upon" 

